Showing posts with label Remember. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Remember. Show all posts

Membership Update - Growing in my Relationship with Christ (June 2010)

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 3:40 PM

Last month, as I began this monthly column for our Gateway members (and anyone else), I talked about the GUIDE. I said the GUIDE (which is a part of our Membership Covenant) is an acronym that both describes what a "fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and lists biblical disciplines and practices that God has given us to help guide us in our spiritual journey in order to become fully devoted. Listed below is the GUIDE:


G - Growing in my relationship with Christ
U - Using spiritual gifts to serve
I - Involved in biblical community
D - Dedicated to reaching others
E - Exercising stewardship


Over the next few Updates I'll be examining each of these in more detail, beginning with the "G," which expands to say, "I will pursue a growing relationship with Christ through scripture, prayer and the spiritual disciplines."


The key word here that often gets lost in understanding and living the Christian life is "relationship." A relationship doesn't just happen - we have to work on it. Growing a relationship with Christ is no different.


Part of our Life Journal reading this past Wednesday (June 9) was Ecclesiastes 12, written by King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. There is a pessimistic, cynical outlook on life through much of Ecclesiastes as Solomon drifted away from God in his later years and wrote this work. But, as he concludes this writing, his last chapter opens with this statement: "Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old..." (12:1, NLT2; italics added)


God drew my eye to this verse and the ones that followed. Solomon tells us not to "forget" our Creator. Then, he proceeds to repeat this by saying, "Remember him (God, the Creator)..." seven more times.  Before it's too late, Solomon says we need to remember our Creator. Why? Because we have a natural tendency to forget!


Practices such as reading our Bible daily, praying, reading spiritual books, meditation, journaling, listening to Christian music, etc., are ways God has given us to "remember" Him. (I think of them as sort of powering a "God Radar" that helps me stay tuned to Him and what He's doing in me and around me.) They are especially helpful in times of trial and adversity, but they really do make a difference all the time. 


Doing these practices isn't meant to be legalistic. Legalism is about checking something off my list as an accomplishment, while relationship is always about investing and giving more. Legalism always leads to the idea that if I do these things God will reward me, and likewise, if I fail to do them, He will punish me. Nothing could be farther from the truth! These practices are fundamental to helping us become more like Christ, and not just to please him.


I'll admit there have been many times in my life when I simply read to "check it off my list." But, God has been showing me that's not His purpose or desire for me...or any of us! He wants our relationship to grow, and He's teaching me to approach scripture and prayer and all the other disciplines as ways to get to know Him better and be influenced by Him. They are ways to help me remember who I am and Whose I am. They keep turning my focus back to Christ instead of on me. They prepare me so that when the Holy Spirit does move in my life, I'm ready to respond and grow.




One thing I've realized is that just as no two relationships on earth are the same, or developed in exactly the same way, so no two relationships with Christ are exactly the same or develop in the same way. However, spending daily time with God and His Word, the Bible, and prayer are almost always a part of the life of a Christ follower who is being grown by God.



We offer the Life Journal as one method of investing time daily with God and His Word. We have journals available for sale or you can go to our website and read and journal online free. I've also recently discovered that there is a free Bible app - YouVersion Holy Bible from LifeChurch.tv - for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android operating systems and more that includes the Life Journal reading plan right on your phone.


There's nothing magic about the Life Journal, but it works for me and for many others in our church family. If it doesn't work for you, find another reading plan or another system. Talk to any of our ministry staff about what they do. Go to a Christian book store or look online. The main thing is to do something, because the easiest thing really is to do nothing. And when we do nothing, our relationship with Christ cannot grow, and, in fact, will shrivel. That's not God's desire, and it isn't mine either! 

Am I Looking for God Today?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Our Life Group met last night (Tuesday night), and we got to talking about how often God says "remember." He tells us in the Lord's Supper to remember. God was always telling the Jews to remember how He had led them out of Egypt. Someone once told me that Christianity is an "historic" religion, because the easiest way we can see God's hand working is when we look back across our lives or the life of the church.

Some of you may know that my desks at home and at the church are a mess, covered with piles of stuff. I'm not particularly happy or proud of that, but there's at least a little method to my madness. What I've discovered over the years is that I forget things I don't readily see. Out of sight - out of mind, as the old saying goes. And it's certainly true for me.

And what I've discovered is that this is also often true for us in our faith journeys with God. Out of sight - out of mind. We remember on Sundays, when we're at church, but for a lot of the rest of the week, for a lot of us, God doesn't have a very active role in our lives.

In Acts 3, the Apostles Peter and John go to the Temple one afternoon not long after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit into the lives of Christ followers. It's the mid-afternoon prayer service, and as they arrive, a man crippled from birth is being carried in so he can beg from those coming and going at the Temple. He sees Peter and John and begs for money from them. Peter tells him he has no money to give him, but he'll give him what he can. And what that, he commands the beggar to get up and walk in the name of Jesus.

Verse 7 says, "Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened." (NLT2) Everyone around was absolutely astounded by this miracle. Then, in verse 12 it says, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd, 'People of Israel,' he said, 'what is so surprising about this?'" (italics added)

People didn't expect to see God work. They were at the Temple, the center of the Jewish faith, but they were surprised to see God show up. How often do we live our lives not expecting God to show up. Would we be just as astounded to see God working? And it wouldn't even have to be a physical miracle. It might be a person choosing to forgive someone who has hurt them. It might be some words of encouragement at a low moment. It might be a helping hand that comes just as we pray for help. Are we looking to see God at work around us today? Do we believe He's active in our world, or does He just stand back and watch as the world goes by?

I believe we need to re-examine our faith if we're not routinely seeing God at work all around us. We need to see if we've parked it for the week, and only take it out of the garage on Sunday mornings. We need to ask ourselves if we really believe God still works in the lives of people today - in my life. Would an act of God be "so surprising" to me?

Sometimes I feel like what I need is a "God" radar that is constantly scanning my surroundings, scanning the people with me, scanning what I'm reading - the Bible or otherwise - , to watch for God at work. To remember that He is always with us and at work in our world. To see Him all around us in creation and people and love. I need to be looking for Him, because as God said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

This is one reason why worship is important - it's a weekly reminder of God and how great He is. But even worship one day a week is not that much. And that's why a daily time with God, reading our Bibles, praying, etc., is critical. Each day I begin it with my personal time with God, and among other things, that time with Him keeps Him on my mind, helps me remember Him and watch where He's working. It's harder for Him to be out of sight, out of mind. And when I'm watching for Him and actively seeking Him in my life, I will see Him at work. I will experience Him in my life - each day. In fact, I need to be watching for Him in every moment of my life, because we never know when He's going to do something to get our attention.

Seeing God work today shouldn't be a surprise. Seeing God heal or forgive, or even simply love us, needs to be a part of our daily lives. We see what we look for. Seek God will all your heart, and you will find Him, perhaps even in ways you never expected. Look for Him today!
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